The obituary of the key forward has undergone several drafts since Lance Franklin kicked 113 goals in 2008. Today, conventional wisdom holds that this is the era of “small ball”.
This was underlined during last year’s grand final when Richmond’s forward line, built around smaller footballers with intense defensive pressure, blew the doors off of an Adelaide side anchored by the more traditional two tall forwards. Richmond’s sole key forward that day was, Jack Riewoldt, who won the Coleman Medal five years earlier with a meagre 65 goals.
You have to go back to Buddy Franklin in 2008 for the last time 100 goals was kicked in a season. The previous man to reach that milestone was Tony Lockett 10 years earlier. In the 30 years that preceded Plugger’s last ton, the full-forward was lodged firmly in football iconography, with the century topped in the home and away season 20 times, including four by Hawthorn’s Peter Hudson. In a conversation with James Coventry for his book on football tactics, Time and Space, Hudson refused to concede the era of the full-forward was over.
“Nowadays people say there won’t be any more century goalkickers, but I say bunkum. The real full-forwards aren’t manufactured, they’re born. They can get fitter, stronger and more mature, but I think they’re born with a special gene.”
Hardly were those words cold on Hudson’s lips when the 22-year old Tom Lynch announced himself by winning the Gold Coast Suns’ goal kicking and best and fairest awards in 2015, a feat he matched in 2016.
Last year, despite his role seemingly being scrubbed from match-day whiteboards, the 6’5” key forward was being talked about in not so hushed multi-year, multi-million-dollar terms. And after Saturday, when Lynch kicked goals the way used car salesmen kick tyres – diligently and without much premeditation – that talk is louder. Seven years at well over a million dollars a year.
“$1.5 million will get you into the conversation,” said Damian Barrett on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show. That’s a contract in excess of $10 million. Hardly small ball.
While Lynch may lack the marketing nomenclature and thrill capacity of football’s other $10-million-men, Dusty and Buddy, his eight goals were some sort of punch line that would’ve drawn howls of laughter from his agent.
On the weekend Lynch’s opponent – the resurrected Liam Jones, who always plays right on the line between derring-do and a mistake – consistently left him alone deep in the Suns’ forward line. This was no doubt planned, but it was a bad plan, particularly when Lynch is such an efficient user of any opportunity he is presented, especially when so many of the Blues’ disposals looked like they were being filtered through a car wash – not unlike the conditions the Suns played in last week in Cairns against North Melbourne.
Like his Gold Coast counterpart, North’s key forward Ben Brown appreciated the more benign conditions of Etihad Stadium when he proved himself to be the game-changer (in a game that very much needed changing) against an ineffectual St Kilda the night before.
Brown, who is three weeks younger than Lynch, was the catalyst for North in the second-half, kicking five of his six goals – six more than the combined efforts of St Kilda’s three tall forwards who would’ve looked more at home on Easter Island.
“You look at the players his (Brown’s) age who are emerging in the competition and they’re regarded as potential superstars,” Kangaroos coach Brad Scott said. “But Browny is pretty close to being one of the dominant key forwards in the competition already, even at his age … he keeps rising to the occasion.”
Last year, with money to burn after missing out on the signatures of midfielders Dustin Martin and Josh Kelly, North extended Brown’s contract through to the end of 2020. By default, the man who was overlooked in three national and three rookie drafts will be the man the Kangaroos build around as they continue to restructure their list.
While any side would improve with Martin or Kelly running through the middle, securing Brown may prove to be a significant silver lining. Although only two of 23 weeks into the home and away season, teams have demonstrated an appetite for riskier ball movement to break through the defensive press applied by forwards. With this comes a greater chance of turnovers and “slingshot” football. This increases the value of a key forward who has the ability to push into the leading lanes created by aggressive defenders who have pushed up the ground, as well as use their height to mark the ball quickly bombed back in. But valuable is only an adjective that points to a much bigger noun. If the weekend just gone is a guide, that noun is match-winner.
Obituaries have historically been premature at this time of year, so it may be a little early to call time on small ball just yet. But the emergence of Lynch and Brown alongside the brilliant Buddy Franklin suggests the value of the born forward may rise once again, particularly as Eddie McGuire plays Brando and inevitably launches a godfather offer to lure Lynch back home.
